Close Welcome to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California

Southern California Chapter

Unifying the efforts of our six houses, a camp, two family rooms and other programs, the Southern California Chapter of Ronald McDonald House Charities is committed to creating a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage and joy.

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Our Houses

Ronald McDonald Houses located throughout Southern California help families stay close to their child when they need treatment for a serious medical condition. Our Houses provide a home-like setting, close to the region's top hospitals, where families can stay free-of charge for as long as necessary.

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Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times helps children with cancer and their families find hope, healing and a sense of normalcy at our year-round, medically supervised camp facility.

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Family Rooms

Our Family Rooms provide an oasis for parents and caregivers inside the hospital, giving them a chance to sleep, shower, and connect with other families just steps away from their child’s hospital bed.

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Family Support Services (FSS)

Family Support Services (FSS) provides compassionate emotional support, education, and resources to the families and staff of the Ronald McDonald House. We are available to you seven days a week, 24 hours a day, every day of the year even after you leave the house and return home.

Camp Staff

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times staff members are dedicated to providing comfort, care, and support to children and families in Southern California.

BioContact

Nate Baldwin

Operation Manager - Facilities

Nate joined the team in June of 2023 and is currently our Operation Manager for Facilities. He works to ensure our campsite grounds and facilities provide a safe, comfortable and caring experience for our campers and guests. Born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA. He worked as a Water Service worker for the City Of Huntington Beach Public Works Utilities Division for 14 years and came to us from the Santa Margarita Water District where he worked as a construction inspector. Nate and his wife Lindsay were married at camp in 2018 and live nearby with their two children, son Jack and daughter Easton.

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Chad Edwards BioContact

Chad Edwards

Camp Director

Chad joined the organization in 2005 as Program Director and has since become Camp Director. Chad’s arrival at Camp Ronald McDonald didn’t follow the “typical” Camp career path.   Chad was born and raised in Carrollton, GA. He attended the University of Georgia where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Political Science.Upon graduation, Chad went to work for the Department of Defense at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, VA. His work for the DOD took him to Kirkland Airforce Base in Albuquerque, NM for a year where he initially learned of Camp Ronald McDonald. Chad volunteered for the first time as a counselor at Camp in 2002, fell in love with the community, and continued to volunteer until offered a full-time job with Camp in 2005.

As Camp Director, Chad currently oversees all aspects of the Camp Programs including camper recruitment & relations; volunteer recruitment, hiring, & training; and program creation & execution. Chad is involved in the American Camp Association (ACA) serving on the Local Council of Leaders for the Southern California / Hawaii region as the Professional Development Chair, a Standards visitor for ACA, and an instructor for the ACA New Director Orientation class. Chad’s love for being in the mountains and in nature is only exceeded by the love he has for his wife, Mel, whom he first met while both were volunteering at Camp, and his daughter, Josie - who loves Camp just as much as mom & dad!

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Shannon Edwards BioContact

Shannon Edwards

Program Director

Shannon started with Camp as a volunteer in 2006 and worked three summers as a Seasonal Staff member before joining the full-time staff in 2017 as our Program Associate. In addition to helping implement the current Camp programs, Shannon works year-round with our Wilderness Outdoor Leadership Program (WOLP), Alumni Development program and manages all Volunteer recriutment and registration. Shannon comes to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times with a background in camping and youth development. They spent 7 years working with the YMCA Camps Tulequoia and Sequoia Lake, including two years as Youth Camp Director at Sequoia Lake.  Through their time with the Y and Camp Ronald McDonald, Shannon has developed an extensive skill set in camping and a passion for camping as a modalidy for youth development.  In addition, Shannon is a standard and accrediation visitor with the American Camp Association and recieved a Service Award from ACA So Cal/Hawaii for their work support ACA online conferences.   Shannon enjoys spending free time with their Patner & two dogs, reading, car camping & spending time with family. 

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Elias Hackney

Operation Associate - Factilities

Elias started his Ronald McDonald House Charities journey by volunteering at Camp each Spring with the University of Redlands Football Team from 2016-2019. From there he served as summer facility staff in 2019 & 2022 becoming a full-time staff member in September 2022 as our Operations Associate – Facilities on the Campgrounds.

Elias was born and raised in Santa Monica, California where he spent most of his time enjoying the beach and playing Football. He played Football since he was 7 years old and eventually worked his way to playing at the collegiate level for the University of Redlands. He graduated from the University in 2020 with a BA in Psychology. He is an avid sports fan spending most of his time watching basketball where he shows true to his hometown team the Los Angeles Lakers. He has settled into Camp life where he looks forward to his time and actively pursuing new adventures with RMHCSC, even earning himself the camp nickname of “Crouton.”

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Waldemar “Wally” Quijano BioContact

Wally Quijano

Family Relations and Recruitment Manager

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Waldemar “Wally” Quijano is a proud product of LAUSD public schooling. Being the first generation born and first in his family to attend and graduate University, he has had to work hard to succeed. He graduated from California State University Northridge with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education.  In fact, music is one of Wally’s deep passions.  One of the proudest moments in his musical career was leading the LAUSD All City Honor Marching Band in the 2009 Rose Parade.

 

While in school he worked for Keep Youth Doing Something (“KYDS”), a local non-profit that provides afterschool programming to at-risk youth in LAUSD. As a KYDS Site Manager for his Alma Mater, Arleta High School, he focused on providing quality programming to his students. From teaching music to establishing courses that were diverse. His central focus was to also create a safe place where students from all backgrounds could come in and further their education and self-expression.

 

In tandem with working at KYDS, he became a Volunteer Counselor with Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times (“Camp”) in 2013. Soon after, Wally decided to take on a more supportive role and became a Unit Director to help guide and aide counselors at Camp. Wanting to learn and help more, he continued to expand his learning by also training in Camp’s adventure course.  Wally is overjoyed to now work full time as Camp Ronald McDonald’s Administrative Coordinator and aims to take his years of experience both in and outside of the Camp community to support and grow Camp’s ever-evolving priorities to meet our mission.

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Javier Reyes

Development Associate

Javier Reyes is the new Development Associate for Camp at RMHCSC. 

Javier previously worked for the YMCA of Orange Country for 8 years. Starting as a soccer coach and eventually moving up the ranks to Program Lead, Coordinator, and Program Director. Javier's Santa Ana YMCA branch was awarded "2020 Branch of the Year" & his Sports Department was ranked #2 within all program in YMCA of Orange County. 

Javier is a powerful force in the workplace and he uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to give his best daily. Javier is ready to help anywhere it is needed with no hesitation. Javier likes to spend time at the beach, hiking, camping, and watching/playing soccer in his free time. 

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Samantha Solis

Events Manager

Samantha Solis graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology and Society with an emphasis in Medicine and Public Health. While completing her undergraduate degree, Samantha received the opportunity to Intern for Camp, where she assisted and learned from Camp’s Social Media, Development, and Event Team. Having the experience of being an Intern and volunteer for Camp was a pivotal experience for her. It ignited her love for Camp and sparked her interest in non-profit work.

Samantha is overjoyed to continue and expand her involvement in Camp. She is grateful to be given the opportunity to start her professional career with such an incredible organization. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and friends, reading, and trying different local coffee shops.

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Davin Coburn

Marketing Communications Coordinator
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Brian Crater BioContact

In Memoriam Brian Crater

Associate Executive Director

Brian joined camp in 1988 as Camp Director. Brian currently over sees facility development & operations and works closely with the Camp program team. In addition to his CRM responsibilities, Brian has been a standing faculty lecturer at California State University, Long Beach, Department of Recreational and Leisure Services in the fields of outdoor recreation and organized camp management. In addition, Brian currently serves on the National Board of the American Camp Association (ACA), a Standards Visitor for ACA, chair of the National Council of Leaders Steering Committee; is the past-president and a current board member of Children’s Oncology Camp Association International (COCA- I) strengthening over 120 international camps serving over 35,000 pediatric oncology campers and their families. Brian’s passion for research has led to co-authoring papers on the Psychological Impacts of a Camp Experience for Children with Cancer and the Camp Awareness Project, a multi-facility study assessing the value of a camp experience with healthcare professionals and unserved patient families.. Brian is married to wife and best friend, Corrie, has three grown daughters and is known for his love of Diet Coke.

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Sponsors of Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times

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